Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in West Virginia

Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate

Boone County had the highest job destruction rate of 55 counties in 2016, at 29.33%. Hardy County had the lowest, at 5.193%. The median was 11.145% and the figure for West Virginia was 12.11%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest29.33Boone County
Lowest5.193Hardy County
Median11.14555 counties
West Virginia12.11History

Map of counties, 2016

Barbour County: 9.718 %Berkeley County: 9.404 %Boone County: 29.33 %Braxton County: 9.013 %Brooke County: 10.16 %Cabell County: 8.421 %Calhoun County: 15.239 %Clay County: 15.216 %Doddridge County: 17.348 %Fayette County: 12.121 %Gilmer County: 21.343 %Grant County: 6.335 %Greenbrier County: 9.144 %Hampshire County: 12.265 %Hancock County: 12.118 %Hardy County: 5.193 %Harrison County: 10.382 %Jackson County: 8.985 %Jefferson County: 16.264 %Kanawha County: 15.455 %Lewis County: 16.039 %Lincoln County: 14.426 %Logan County: 15.641 %McDowell County: 16.878 %Marion County: 16.435 %Marshall County: 14.133 %Mason County: 8.364 %Mercer County: 11.63 %Mineral County: 10.731 %Mingo County: 18.076 %Monongalia County: 10.785 %Monroe County: 12.89 %Morgan County: 14.539 %Nicholas County: 15.356 %Ohio County: 10.881 %Pendleton County: 9.362 %Pleasants County: 8.145 %Pocahontas County: 6.458 %Preston County: 10.527 %Putnam County: 9.624 %Raleigh County: 13.231 %Randolph County: 8.243 %Ritchie County: 7.491 %Roane County: 14.505 %Summers County: 11.145 %Taylor County: 11.252 %Tucker County: 8.85 %Tyler County: 10.282 %Upshur County: 11.278 %Wayne County: 10.287 %Webster County: 15.017 %Wetzel County: 7.276 %Wirt County: 7.384 %Wood County: 10.047 %Wyoming County: 18.018 %
  • Under 8.4
  • 8.4 to 10
  • 10 to 11
  • 11 to 14
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  • 16 and over
%, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2016

Boone County: 29.33 %Boone County29.33Gilmer County: 21.343 %Gilmer County21.343Mingo County: 18.076 %Mingo County18.076Wyoming County: 18.018 %Wyoming County18.018Doddridge County: 17.348 %Doddridge County17.348McDowell County: 16.878 %McDowell County16.878Marion County: 16.435 %Marion County16.435Jefferson County: 16.264 %Jefferson County16.264Lewis County: 16.039 %Lewis County16.039Logan County: 15.641 %Logan County15.641Kanawha County: 15.455 %Kanawha County15.455Nicholas County: 15.356 %Nicholas County15.356Calhoun County: 15.239 %Calhoun County15.239Clay County: 15.216 %Clay County15.216Webster County: 15.017 %Webster County15.017Morgan County: 14.539 %Morgan County14.539Roane County: 14.505 %Roane County14.505Lincoln County: 14.426 %Lincoln County14.426Marshall County: 14.133 %Marshall County14.133Raleigh County: 13.231 %Raleigh County13.231Monroe County: 12.89 %Monroe County12.89Hampshire County: 12.265 %Hampshire County12.265Fayette County: 12.121 %Fayette County12.121Hancock County: 12.118 %Hancock County12.118Mercer County: 11.63 %Mercer County11.63Upshur County: 11.278 %Upshur County11.278Taylor County: 11.252 %Taylor County11.252Summers County: 11.145 %Summers County11.145Ohio County: 10.881 %Ohio County10.881Monongalia County: 10.785 %Monongalia County10.785Mineral County: 10.731 %Mineral County10.731Preston County: 10.527 %Preston County10.527Harrison County: 10.382 %Harrison County10.382Wayne County: 10.287 %Wayne County10.287Tyler County: 10.282 %Tyler County10.282Brooke County: 10.16 %Brooke County10.16Wood County: 10.047 %Wood County10.047Barbour County: 9.718 %Barbour County9.718Putnam County: 9.624 %Putnam County9.624Berkeley County: 9.404 %Berkeley County9.404Pendleton County: 9.362 %Pendleton County9.362Greenbrier County: 9.144 %Greenbrier County9.144Braxton County: 9.013 %Braxton County9.013Jackson County: 8.985 %Jackson County8.985Tucker County: 8.85 %Tucker County8.85Cabell County: 8.421 %Cabell County8.421Mason County: 8.364 %Mason County8.364Randolph County: 8.243 %Randolph County8.243Pleasants County: 8.145 %Pleasants County8.145Ritchie County: 7.491 %Ritchie County7.491Wirt County: 7.384 %Wirt County7.384Wetzel County: 7.276 %Wetzel County7.276Pocahontas County: 6.458 %Pocahontas County6.458Grant County: 6.335 %Grant County6.335Hardy County: 5.193 %Hardy County5.193Boone County: 29.33 %Boone County29.33Gilmer County: 21.343 %Gilmer County21.343Mingo County: 18.076 %Mingo County18.076Wyoming County: 18.018 %Wyoming County18.018Doddridge County: 17.348 %Doddridge County17.348McDowell County: 16.878 %McDowell County16.878Marion County: 16.435 %Marion County16.435Jefferson County: 16.264 %Jefferson County16.264Lewis County: 16.039 %Lewis County16.039Logan County: 15.641 %Logan County15.641Kanawha County: 15.455 %Kanawha County15.455Nicholas County: 15.356 %Nicholas County15.356Calhoun County: 15.239 %Calhoun County15.239Clay County: 15.216 %Clay County15.216Webster County: 15.017 %Webster County15.017Morgan County: 14.539 %Morgan County14.539Roane County: 14.505 %Roane County14.505Lincoln County: 14.426 %Lincoln County14.426Marshall County: 14.133 %Marshall County14.133Raleigh County: 13.231 %Raleigh County13.231Monroe County: 12.89 %Monroe County12.89Hampshire County: 12.265 %Hampshire County12.265Fayette County: 12.121 %Fayette County12.121Hancock County: 12.118 %Hancock County12.118Mercer County: 11.63 %Mercer County11.63Upshur County: 11.278 %Upshur County11.278Taylor County: 11.252 %Taylor County11.252Summers County: 11.145 %Summers County11.145Ohio County: 10.881 %Ohio County10.881Monongalia County: 10.785 %Monongalia County10.785Mineral County: 10.731 %Mineral County10.731Preston County: 10.527 %Preston County10.527Harrison County: 10.382 %Harrison County10.382Wayne County: 10.287 %Wayne County10.287Tyler County: 10.282 %Tyler County10.282Brooke County: 10.16 %Brooke County10.16Wood County: 10.047 %Wood County10.047Barbour County: 9.718 %Barbour County9.718Putnam County: 9.624 %Putnam County9.624Berkeley County: 9.404 %Berkeley County9.404Pendleton County: 9.362 %Pendleton County9.362Greenbrier County: 9.144 %Greenbrier County9.144Braxton County: 9.013 %Braxton County9.013Jackson County: 8.985 %Jackson County8.985Tucker County: 8.85 %Tucker County8.85Cabell County: 8.421 %Cabell County8.421Mason County: 8.364 %Mason County8.364Randolph County: 8.243 %Randolph County8.243Pleasants County: 8.145 %Pleasants County8.145Ritchie County: 7.491 %Ritchie County7.491Wirt County: 7.384 %Wirt County7.384Wetzel County: 7.276 %Wetzel County7.276Pocahontas County: 6.458 %Pocahontas County6.458Grant County: 6.335 %Grant County6.335Hardy County: 5.193 %Hardy County5.193
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Boone County29.33+12.95 pts
2Gilmer County21.343+7.87 pts
3Mingo County18.076-16.05 pts
4Wyoming County18.018-8.13 pts
5Doddridge County17.348+7.1 pts
6McDowell County16.878+0.4 pts
7Marion County16.435+3.23 pts
8Jefferson County16.264+8.9 pts
9Lewis County16.039+4.56 pts
10Logan County15.641-0.58 pts
11Kanawha County15.455+2.24 pts
12Nicholas County15.356+4.2 pts
13Calhoun County15.239-10.62 pts
14Clay County15.216+1.27 pts
15Webster County15.017+5.11 pts
16Morgan County14.539+8.09 pts
17Roane County14.505-0.68 pts
18Lincoln County14.426-8.83 pts
19Marshall County14.133+6.77 pts
20Raleigh County13.231-2.75 pts
21Monroe County12.89+2.32 pts
22Hampshire County12.265+5.58 pts
23Fayette County12.121-3.41 pts
24Hancock County12.118+2.29 pts
25Mercer County11.63+0.75 pts
26Upshur County11.278-1.31 pts
27Taylor County11.252+2.37 pts
28Summers County11.145+3.07 pts
29Ohio County10.881+2.47 pts
30Monongalia County10.785+2.39 pts
31Mineral County10.731-6.65 pts
32Preston County10.527+0.37 pts
33Harrison County10.382-2.31 pts
34Wayne County10.287+1.28 pts
35Tyler County10.282+4.46 pts
36Brooke County10.16+3.72 pts
37Wood County10.047-2.28 pts
38Barbour County9.718+0.35 pts
39Putnam County9.624-2.13 pts
40Berkeley County9.404-5.55 pts
41Pendleton County9.362-3.5 pts
42Greenbrier County9.144-0.05 pts
43Braxton County9.013-25.51 pts
44Jackson County8.985-1.3 pts
45Tucker County8.85-19.23 pts
46Cabell County8.421-1.62 pts
47Mason County8.364+1.82 pts
48Randolph County8.243-0.37 pts
49Pleasants County8.145-1.7 pts
50Ritchie County7.491+0.77 pts
51Wirt County7.384-24.04 pts
52Wetzel County7.276-2.89 pts
53Pocahontas County6.458+0.78 pts
54Grant County6.335-1.63 pts
55Hardy County5.193+0.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2016}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2016
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job destruction rate?

Boone County, with 29.33% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Hardy County, with 5.193% in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in West Virginia: more rankings